Vol. 14, No. 4 September 2006

www.cubanews.com

In the News Fidel’s transfer of power to Raúl sparks U.S. debate over direction of Cuba policy New spy mission CIA forms new bureaucracy to keep tabs BY ANA RADELAT street party in Miami’s Little Havana, where for several days and nights thousands of Cuban on Cuba and Venezuela ...... Page 3 hile the Bush administration says it won’t change its policy towards Cuba, exiles sang, danced and celebrated in the Fidel Castro’s decision to cede power to streets, convinced that Fidel Castro was either Free-zone blues W dead or near death. his brother Raúl has touched off a new debate The 80-year-old revolutionary admitted Sep. 6 Closing of the Havana free-trade zone at on the effectiveness of the embargo. that he’s lost 41 pounds since his surgery, de- Berroa irks foreign investors ...... Page 4 Undoing the embargo would not be easy. tails of which remain a state secret. Speculation Congress would have to repeal several laws and is that he may have colon cancer, though no one India drills for oil settle all U.S. property claims against the Cuban outside Cuba knows for sure. government. It would also require a 180-degree It’s also not clear whether Fidel will receive India’s ONGC Videsh, Cupet sign offshore turn by the White House, which has threatened foreign dignitaries during the 14th Non-Aligned to veto any attempt to weaken the embargo and petroleum exploration deal ...... Page 7 Summit in Havana, expected to be attended by refuses to consider Raúl Castro’s administration 116 countries and at least 50 heads of state. a valid transitional government. All indications point to Raúl firmly in control Nickel politics “We have no plans to reach out to Cuba,” said of Cuba, with the help of six other officials who Sherritt: U.S. threat to stymie Cuban nick- White House spokesman Tony Snow, reacting have been assigned the day-to-day responsibili- to the Cuban government’s shocking announce- ties of running the Cuban government. el exports is ‘ridiculous’ ...... Page 8 ment Jul. 31 that Fidel was relinquishing the Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), one of the presidency to Raúl in the wake of emergency staunchest supporters of the embargo, dismiss- Cuba and China surgery for a still-undisclosed condition. es Raúl as “an appendage of Fidel.” Similarities yes, but vast differences div- That announcement sparked an enormous See Embargo, page 2 ide the two Marxist nations ...... Page 9 Cuba after Castro: Leading pundit offers Louisiana calling again A year after Katrina, state officials once views on what’ll happen after Fidel dies again courting Cuba ...... Page 10 BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI 2004 to a correspondent for the French newspa- Jewish dilemma aúl Castro will pull Cuba out of stagnation per Le Monde, “Everybody wants economic and push forward reforms aimed at trans- changes, except Fidel.” Like other Cubans, island’s few Jews won- R forming the Cuban economy into a more And this course of action, inspired and repre- der about a post-Fidel future ...... Page 11 socialist market-oriented system dominated by sented by Raúl, is not a secret nor a hidden ten- capitalist standards of organization, manage- dency within Cuba’s power structure and politi- Business briefs ment and fiscal policy. cal class at large, military as well as civilian. It is That will effectively end the “other blockade” something that ensures Raúl ample popular Spain’s Barceló plans 6 new Cuban hotels; imposed upon the Cuban economic by Fidel recognition and support. Fidel is not ignorant of such circumstances citrus crop is recovering ...... Page 12 Castro when — after discussion of the new investment law in September 1995 — the older and is very much aware of the expectations sur- Castro declared that “no more reforms and rounding this “provisional” substitution. Provinces: Isla de la Juventud changes were needed.” Being at the helm of the Cuban revolution since Day One — with his charisma and out- An updated analysis of Cuba’s only island In 1997, after the Fifth Party Congress adopt- ed an economic program to rescue and expand standing oratorical skills — made Fidel Castro municipality ...... Page 14 the pace of reforms, Fidel became the chief what he was and still is. At the same time, it did opponent of perfeccionamiento empresarial — a overshadow the role of his brother Raúl to the CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly set of ideas and actions that symbolized pre- point where today, when many people are still by Luxner News Inc. © 2006. All rights reserved. cisely the course of action that his brother Raúl wondering who he really is and what role might Subscriptions: $429 for one year, $800 for two years. had been advocating since the deterioration of he play now. For editorial inquires, please call (954) 970-4518 These lines are not meant to be a biography or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. relations with the Soviet Union after 1979. As a high-ranking Cuban official admitted in See Raúl, page 6 2 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 in the early 1960s, virtually transferring by U.S. citizens could file lawsuits against Embargo — FROM PAGE 1 authority over the embargo from the presi- Cuba in relation to confiscated properties. But businesses that have long sought an dent to Congress. In a letter to the Foreign Relations and Bud- opening to Cuba are keeping an wary eye on One thing the White House could do imme- get Committees of both the House and the a market that has been off-limits to most diately is ease travel restrictions, which Bush Senate, Bush said the postponement “is nec- American industries for 45 years. toughened after assuming office in 2001. The essary in the national interests of the United Castro’s departure from power, if it is per- president could scrap some of those limita- States and will accelerate the transition manent, would deprive embargo supporters tions, including one that allows Cuban- towards democracy in Cuba.” from a polarizing figure to rail against. But it Americans to visit relatives on the island only Helms-Burton establishes in Chapters III also plunges Cuba into uncertainty, a turnoff once every three years. and IV sanctions to be applied to foreign firms for likely investors. Another step Bush could take is to make it that have business operations in Cuba. It also Tom Moushian, a Cuba specialist with the easier to sell food to Cuba, rolling back his permits the filing of lawsuits against busines- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said big busi- requirement Cuba to pay for agricultural ses or individuals that make use of properties ness is watching the situation, and that vari- products before they leave U.S. ports. formerly owned by U.S. citizens or companies ous chamber's members have contacted him But the White House is unlikely to do any nationalized by the Cuban government. seeking information on what’s happening in of those things. Another provision denies entry to US terri- Havana. But Moushian can’t tell them much Instead it has repeatedly pointed to a report tory of executives of companies doing busi- because there's too much uncertainty. issued last month that recommended lifting ness in Cuba. “We are hopeful for positive change and sanctions only if Cuba took steps towards a And thanks to a separate provision included free market and free elections. by Sen. Bob Menendez, (D-NJ) — then a more openness. But businesses like pre- “We will support you in your effort to build dictability, and we have none of that now,” member of the House of Representatives — a transitional government in Cuba committed Helms-Burton also bars a lifting of sanctions Moushian told CubaNews, adding that he to democracy, and we will take note of those, doubts Congress could come up with enough while Raúl Castro is in power. in the current Cuban regime, who obstruct Menendez said the only way he’d seek a votes to overturn the vetoes President Bush your desire for a free Cuba," Bush said in a change the law is “if Raúl is elected in free and has threatened every time Congress attempts statement following Fidel's transfer of power fair elections” — a pretty unlikely scenario. to weaken the embargo. to his brother. But Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a member of the THINGS WASHINGTON CAN DO The report, a follow-up to one issued in bipartisan Cuba Working Group, said he plan 2004 from the administration’s Commission to introduce legislation that would modify or Chris Garza, a lobbyist for the American for Assistance to a Free Cuba — which also eliminate that section of Helms-Burton that Farm Bureau, said it might be difficult for recommended getting U.S. advisers on the addresses conditions for lifting the embargo. Congress to ease the embargo in 2006, since ground within a few weeks of Fidel’s depar- “We’ve been begging for years to modify it's an election year and there's little time left ture from power — was attacked by the Cu- Helms-Burton, because nobody believes in the congressional calendar. ban government as yet another example U.S. wholesale change is really going to happen,” “But I think the big push will come next interference in its affairs. said Flake, whose previous attempts to alter year, and agriculture will be there,” he said. Cuba policy have faltered because of Bush’s There are also political reasons to take at DEBATE OVER HELMS-BURTON veto threats. And there are other problems, least some steps to ease the embargo. Robert There are other obstacles to a widespread including the possibility Cuba might not want Muse, a Washington lawyer who’s involved in lifting of sanctions besides the Bush adminis- new chances to trade with the United States. Cuba issues, said it would send a positive sig- tration’s hard line. Among the biggest is the John Kavulich, senior policy adviser with nal to the island’s 11.2 million citizens. 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which, like the the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, “It’s only natural for the Cuban people to Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, said there’s little reason for Cuba to seek new seek an improved financial situation and in links the lifting of sanctions on a series of openings because its economy is now being the nature of things, that’s going to include tough conditions for Cuba. supported by Venezuela and China. the United States,” Muse told us. On Jul. 17, two weeks before Fidel turned “For Cuba, the status quo is perfectly Muse also said the White House has the the reins of power to his brother Raúl, Presi- acceptable,” said Kavulich, suggesting that authority to make certain changes in U.S. pol- dent Bush extended for six months, starting analysts who predict rapid change in U.S.- icy, despite the fact that several U.S. laws have Aug. 1, the postponement of enforcement of a Cuba relations should take a step back. tightened the embargo since it was imposed section of Chapter III of Helms-Burton where- “People should just take a chill pill.” White House allocates $80 million to ‘end information blockade’ he Bush administration has approved a two-year, $80 million “The greatest guarantor of genuine stability in Cuba is the rapid program to end what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called restoration of sovereignty to the Cuban people through free and fair, Tthe “information blockade” in Cuba, and also to boost efforts to- multiparty elections,” says the report. ward a democratic transition on the island after Fidel Castro is gone. Alfredo Mesa, executive director of the Cuban American National The announcement, made Jul. 11 — two weeks before Fidel ceded Foundation, says the efforts show there is a clear commitment to bring power to his brother Raúl — coincided with release of the second a transition to democracy in Cuba. But he says the efforts for change report of the bipartisan Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba. cannot just come from outside the island. The main objective of the commission’s 93-page report is to halt the “The decisions for a transition to democracy in Cuba have to take eventual succession of power from Fidel to Raúl, using diplomacy to place in Cuba by Cubans,” Mesa told the Voice of America. “Opposition enlist Cuban citizens and other countries to demand a new govern- leaders and dissident leaders and even people who work in the gov- ment after Fidel dies. ernment today that can be in a position tomorrow to bring a peaceful According to the Miami Herald, it recommends that the U.S. spend democratic transition in Cuba are the ones who need to be guiding us $80 million over two years to encourage that change, saying Cubans in how we can help them. could appeal to the United States for food, water and other aid. It envi- The Cuban government dismissed the report. Ricardo Alarcón, sions U.S. technicians rebuilding schools, highways, bridges, finan- president of the National Assembly, was quoted in state-run media as cial specialists designing a new tax system and the United States help- saying that the draft of the commission’s report reinforced what he ing Cuba join the International Monetary Fund. called an American plan to annex the island. September 2006 ❖ CubaNews 3 ECONOMY CIA forms new mission to keep tabs on Venezuela, Cuba

BY LARRY LUXNER as much as 120,000 barrels per day of oil challenges that Cuba and Venezuela pose to espite their obvious differences in size products to a 600,000-barrel storage terminal American foreign policy,” Negroponte said in and population, Cuba and Venezuela on the island’s northwest. That terminal is to a press statement. “In this light, the mission Dhave forged a friendship unlike any be the linchpin of Chávez’s Petrocaribe proj- manager for Cuba and Venezuela will be re- other in Latin America. Both countries—bur- ect to provide fuel to Cuba and throughout sponsible for ensuring that policymakers dened by a long history of poverty and cor- the Caribbean at discounted prices. have a full range of timely and accurate intel- ruption — are today run by anti-American Venezuelan oil is literally keeping the Cu- ligence on which to base their decisions.” revolutionaries bent on exporting their brand ban economy afloat, much to the disappoint- Reacting to the administration’s decision, of socialism throughout the world. ment of White House officials who would like Jesse Chacón, Venezuela’s minister of interior And that doesn’t make the Bush adminis- and justice, said the development could tration very happy. prompt a “re-evaluation of the accords we On Aug. 18, the White House announced might sign with the United States” — particu- the creation of a CIA mission specifically for larly a joint effort at fighting drug trafficking. Cuba and Venezuela. The move came only three weeks after Fidel Castro temporarily CAN RAÚL SUSTAIN CLOSE TIES WITH CHÁVEZ? ceded power to his younger brother Raúl after Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuela’s ambassador surgery for an intestinal ailment — and less to the United States, says this is all part of a than four months before Venezuela’s presi- deliberate campaign by Washington to paint dential elections scheduled for Dec. 3. Chávez as the region’s new bad boy. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, 52, “The Bush administration must give up all was the only foreign head of state to meet these crazy thoughts of regime change. with Castro, 80, following the surgery, and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez (left), Bernardo Alvarez These right-wingers must drop their Cold photographs of the two presidents in the War mentality and understand that there is a recovery room were widely distributed to see Cuba’s 11 million people rise up against political process in Venezuela,” Alvarez told throughout the world. the Castro regime. CubaNews. “The United States is trying to go “President Chávez has made it a point to That’s mainly why the Bush administration around Latin America saying Venezuela is a try to develop a very closer relationship with has created the new intelligence post for bad influence. They’ve created this person Fidel Castro,” said State Department spokes- Cuba and Venezuela, putting the two on equal who is apparently behind everything that hap- man Sean McCormack at an Aug. 22 press footing with North Korea and Iran — the only pens in the hemisphere.” briefing. “I’m not sure that that’s something other countries with such managers. Alvarez added: “Our first and main interest that really burnishes his democratic creden- is to reduce poverty and inequality. For the tials, but that’s his decision to make.” MISSION MAY ENDANGER DRUG COOPERATION first time, we’ve directed a very significant Venezuela is already one of Cuba’s top trad- J. Patrick Maher, a 32-year veteran of the percentage of our oil revenue into social pro- ing partners. Under an agreement personally CIA, was named acting mission manager of grams, including a program to eradicate illit- signed by Chávez and Castro, state-owned the new post by John Negroponte, director of eracy and supply subsidized food to Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) sells 98,000 national intelligence. Venezuela’s poor. barrels of crude oil a day to Cuba under According to a press release issued by the “We’ve also had a program to enroll 300,000 extremely preferential terms. directorate, Maher will be responsible for Venezuelans to attend primary and high In addition, PDVSA has signed an accord integrating collection and analysis on Cuba school. There’s also a program, with Cuba’s with the Cuban government to drill for oil. It and Venezuela across the intelligence com- help, to provide basic health care and free is already investing $83 million to rehabilitate munity, identifying and filling gaps in intelli- medicine to at least 17 million Venezuelans.” the Soviet-designed oil refinery in gence and ensuring the implementation of Alvarez estimated that some 25,000 Cuban Cienfuegos, along Cuba’s southern coast (see strategies, among other duties. doctors are working in Venezuela. CubaNews, June 2006, page 2). “Such efforts are critical today, as policy- Brian Latell, a former CIA Cuba analyst The goal is to build a pipeline that will take makers have increasingly focused on the who previously held Maher’s current job, said it’s difficult to overstate the strong bonds between Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez. 5 inter-agency working groups to monitor Cuba “These two countries are closely linked, given Chávez’s almost filial relationship with The White House has formed five groups to guide the Bush administration’s approach to Fidel,” Latell told CubaNews. “Chávez is sub- Cuba in the wake of Fidel Castro’s illness and general uncertainty on the island. According sidizing the Cuban economy to the tune of to U.S. officials quoted Sept. 13 in the Miami Herald, the five groups are as follows: $2.5 billion a year. They’re practically joined ■ Diplomatic actions: Aims to build international support for U.S. policies; headed by at the hip and they’re high priorities for the the State Department intelligence community, so I don’t find this ■ announcement particularly surprising.” Humanitarian aid: Intended for Cuba if and when it is requested by a transition gov- Yet whether this strong bilateral bond can ernment in Havana; headed by the Commerce Department outlive Fidel is another question. ■ Immigration: Headed jointly by the National Security Council and the Department of “I’m hearing from quite a few people that Homeland Security Raúl simply does not have a relationship with ■ Strategic communications: Seeks to ensure that Cubans understand U.S. positions; Chávez even resembling Fidel’s,” Latell said. headed by the State Department “It’s not going to be the same, but that’s an ■ awfully big subsidy. It just can’t be minimized. Democratic promotion: The centerpiece of the Bush administration policy on Cuba; It’s a lot of money Chávez is pumping into headed by the State Department (see box, bottom of page 2, this issue) Cuba, and the Cubans are not providing an awful lot in return.” 4 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 FOREIGN TRADE Closing of Havana’s free zone worries foreign investors BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA “The foreign enterprises and operators ing light manufacturing outposts — similar to uba has closed Havana’s free-trade based there have to change their status and those found in the Dominican Republic and become subsidiaries or agents registered at along the US-Mexico border — but that it’s zone, located just east of the city in Ber- the Chamber of Commerce if they comply been disappointed with those foreign firms Croa — in effect kicking out firms that with the requirements of having operated in who failed to live up to such hopes. have been doing business there for years. Cuba for at least three years and have sub- “When reviewing the functioning of the This information comes to CubaNews via a scribed negotiations for around $500,000. free-trade zones, the Cuban authorities con- Canadian investor who’s been active in “If they don’t comply with these, they can ... cluded that it did not meet their expectations, tourism and other projects in Cuba since the work through a consulting office, or have a i.e. that hardly any firms were producing early 1990s. sales agent through the enterprise Centro IC goods for export and that it mainly had “The Cuban government has been gradual- of Almacenes Universales. The last operators become a refuge for trading companies that ly sending signals to various foreign busines- still working should have changed their status could not obtain a Chamber of Commerce license because they did not meet the require- ments established for representative offices,” Berger told us. “As a consequence, the policy has been [over the last year] not to grant new licenses, LARRY LUXNER to request firms that could also have their presence in Cuba through Chamber of Commerce or other structures [international economic associations and cooperative pro- duction/services agreements] to do so. Firms that were not interested or ineligible for a license were requested to close shop or to continue their activities through an existing licensed structure.” Even though García’s comments make it appear that the closing of the free zone is not so serious for those wanting to continue doing business in Cuba, our Canadian source — who has no idea if or when he’ll return to Entrance to Havana free zone, whose status is unclear following the government’s decision to close it. Havana — insists this is a bad omen for for- eign entrepreneurs who have committed time, ses operating in Cuba, in particular, those by the end of September.” effort and money in Cuba. from Western European countries and García added: “There aren’t any Dutch “Unfortunately, the Cuban government is Canada, letting them know in subtle ways companies affected by this. This will of course starting to earn a reputation for luring in un- that their services and investments were no affect some foreign companies, especially suspecting investors, and once they’ve made longer wanted in Cuba,” said the executive, very small ones with poor operations that solid commitments on the island, they start who requested that we not identify him. don’t have a solid mother company and won’t hitting them with increased operating costs, Asked to define those “subtle ways,” the be able to remain as a subsidiary or agency.” and increasingly unfavorable conditions to executive responded: “Things such as more Sebastiaan A.C. Berger, a Dutch corporate continue operations there,” he told us. taxes, more expenses operating in Cuba, lawyer who runs the Havana-based consulting He added, however, that major foreign more hassles shipping goods into the coun- firm Berger, Young & Associates, recently investors such as Spain’s Meliá hotel chain try, and in general more bureaucracy.” contacted CubaNews about this issue. and Canadian mining giant Sherritt Interna- Our source alleges that the closing of the He said the Cuban government was hoping tional are unlikely to be hurt by this new free zone in Berroa is the most blatant sign of to turn the free trade zones into job-generat- development. Cuba’s changing attitude toward European and Canadian investment in Cuba. Asked why — given the paramount impor- Ex-oil minister is Venezuela’s new envoy to Cuba tance foreign investors have played in keep- ing Cuba’s tourism-dominated economy Ali Rodríguez, Venezuela’s former foreign minister — and minister of energy and mines afloat — he asserted that the tens of millions before that — will replace Adán Chávez as ambassador to Cuba. of petrodollars being given to Cuba by Vene- The appointment was confirmed Sept. 1 by President Hugo Chávez, Adan’s older brother, zuela’s Hugo Chávez, along with new Chinese in a meeting in Caracas. deals, have led Cuba to change its priorities Adán Chávez was named head of the Venezuelan mission in 2004 and is now back in Caracas regarding foreign investment. to assume the post of cabinet chief of his brother’s government. The move fits perfectly into CubaNews has been unable to get the Cu- the president’s plans for the months ahead with December elections heading the agenda. ban Chamber of Commerce or foreign in- The Venezuelan government believes Rodríguez, 69, would be very useful in Cuba where vestors active in Cuba to comment on the cur- he can use his long-standing petroleum industry expertise as drilling for oil in the Gulf of rent status of Havana’s free zone. However, Mexico becomes a hot issue and trade with Cuba is energy-dominated.. Esther García, a commercial adviser at the Rodríguez was released in August from his obligations as foreign minister due to health rea- Dutch Embassy in Havana, had this to say: sons and replaced by Nicolas Maduro, who up until that time headed Venezuela’s National “The free zone of Berroa was closed as a Assembly. Rodríguez was minister of energy in 1999, and a year later, was named secretary- free zone but was not shut down completely general of OPEC where he served until 2002. At that time, he took over as president of state as you were told. It is now operating as a oil monopoly Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). logistic and development center,” she told us. September 2006 ❖ CubaNews 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS

POLITICAL PRISON POPULATION DROPS TO 316 In their own words … The number of political prisoners in Cuba dropped to 316 from 333 in the first six months of “At this time of uncertainty in Cuba, one thing is clear: The United States is this year, but the government stepped up extraju- absolutely committed to supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for democ- dicial harassment of opponents. racy and freedom. We have repeatedly said that the Cuban people deserve to “The slight decline ... appears to reflect a live in freedom. I encourage all democratic nations to unite in support of the change in the form of political repression,” the right of the Cuban people to define a democratic future for their country.” nongovernmental Cuban Commission for Human — President Bush, reacting Aug. 3 to the news that Fidel Castro had ceded power Rights and National Reconciliation said in a July to his brother Raúl due to emergency surgery for severe intestinal bleeding. report carried by Reuters. The illegal but tolerated group charged that the “I have been shocked at the sight of people dancing in the streets over Castro regime was organizing supporters to sur- reports of Fidel Castro’s illness. It is unseemly, and even un-American, to pub- round and intimidate dissidents at home and on licly wish for someone’s death.” the street, arresting opponents for brief periods — Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), longtime critic of U.S. policy toward Cuba, reacting of time, increasing visits by security officials and to TV footage of Cuban exiles partying in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. firings from state jobs, among other tactics. “There is a decline in numbers of prisoners, “In reality, I’m not accustomed to appearing in public frequently, except for but it is irrelevant because it is still more than the moments when it is required. Many tasks related to the defense of the is- 300,” commission President Elizardo Sánchez land should not be public. I’ve always been discreet. That’s my way of being.” told Reuters by phone. “Without a doubt the gov- — Raúl Castro, speaking Aug. 18 in his first public appearance since assuming ernment has changed its tactics. They are resort- control of Cuba from his older brother Fidel. ing more to other methods besides prison.” Sánchez added: “The Cuban government for decades has used Washington’s disposition to “He’s been a fighter against Castro all his life. He advocates violence, but support us as a pretext to increase repression.” that does not mean violence and terrorism are the same thing.” In March 2003, Cuba’s dissident movement — Santiago Alvarez, a 65-year-old Miami businessman speaking on behalf of took a blow when 75 of its members were round- accused terrorist Luís Posada Carriles. Alvarez is on trial in Fort Lauderdale for ed up and jailed for terms of up to 28 years; only maintaining an illegal armory of machne guns, explosives and hand grenades. 15 of them have been released on medical parole. “I liked being on those panels because we could say what we wanted. For OFAC RELIGIOUS TRAVEL REGS CONFUSE CHURCHES example, we didn’t have to call Fidel Castro the president of Cuba. I could call At least two congregations whose activities in him what he is, a dictator.” Cuba triggered a $34,000 fine for the Alliance of — Ariel Ramos, reporter/columnist for Diario Las Américas and one of 10 Baptists have been granted their own travel Miami-area journalists who accepted U.S. government money for either hosting licenses by the same agency that issued the fine, shows or providing analysis for anti-Cuba broadcasts on Radio and TV Martí. AP reported Aug. 28. The Treasury Department recently approved “Mr. Bush’s policy, including his designation of a pro-consul for Cuba, is an applications for congregational travel licenses affront to the Cuban people’s sovereignty and right to self-determination. In from the First Baptist churches of Savannah, Ga., simple terms, it is an annexationist policy that cannot be implemented without and Washington, D.C. the destruction of the Cuban nation.” But teams from both churches were cited, in a — Statement issued Jul. 12 by the Cuban-American Alliance Education Fund, July communique from officials at Treasury’s denouncing the White House’s Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), as vio- lating the terms of the Alliance’s group travel “I think the fact that two or three [journalists] are not welcome is not going license while on mission trips to Cuba. to add to this summit or make it lackluster, considering we have the sovereign “I thought it was interesting that, as with one right to admit into our country whoever we think appropriate.” hand I was sending an affidavit to the attorney — José Luís Ponce, chief of Cuba’s International Press Center, following criticism representing the Alliance of Baptists, outlining he denied entry to certain journalists hoping to cover the Non-Aligned Summit. the reasons why we didn’t violate the travel restriction, with the other hand I was opening an acceptance letter for our own license,” said Jim “We need a reality check here. Anyone who knows Cuba knows the Cuban Somerville, pastor of the Washington congrega- people aren’t going to rise up against a successor regime.” tion, who received his acceptance letter Aug. 22. — Wayne Smith, former chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana (1979-82) “Do we need to take this whole fine business and now a major critic of the Bush administration’s anti-Cuba policies. seriously from an agency that doesn’t know what it’s doing?” he said. “Here with one hand they’re ”They will all tell you of course they’ll go visit. Of course they’ll buy a vaca- fining us, and with the other hand they’re patting tion home so they can spend time there, but the overwhelming majority, 80%- us on the back saying, enjoy your trip to Cuba.” plus, will remain in the U.S. because it’s been too long. It’s been 45 years.” In June 2005, Treasury officials informed the — Sergio Bendixen, Miami pollster, quoted Aug. 2 in a New York Times Alliance of Baptists that its license for travel to story on Cuban-Americans hoping to return to the island of their birth. Cuba had been suspended, pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that a group “We do not like terrorism, and we won’t give asylum to a foreign terrorist.” from Church of the Covenant, an Alliance con- — René Figueroa, El Salvador’s minister of government, denying reports that his gregation in Birmingham, Ala., had misused its country would give safe haven to Luís Posada Carriles, who is accused of license to visit tourist sites. masterminding the 1976 bombing of a Cubana jetliner in which 73 died. Since then, several other religious organiza- tions with long track records of work in Cuba have been denied travel licenses. 6 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 This is enormously important in a country cooperation continued with the U.S. Coast Raúl — FROM PAGE 1 where two-thirds of the population are either Guard and the Drug Enforcement (for this purpose, read Brian Latell’s contro- young or black. Administration, as well as with Interpol and a versial book “After Fidel”), but to bring a dif- Raúl is the architect of recurrent attempts number of EU and Caribbean police agencies ferent perspective to Raúl political role within to reform the economy. This proves beyond a in drug-trafficking matters. the Cuban revolution and his potential as a doubt the fact that Raúl has not been a second Even before 9/11, Raúl encouraged the beacon of change in the current situation. fiddle but rather a first-class leader on an Bush administration publicly to engage in Even his worst enemies have acknowl- equal footing with his brother, each with dif- negotiations with Cuba while Fidel was still edged that Raúl is an excellent guerrilla ferent characteristics. But this is not all. alive. Furthermore, during the difficult years of leader and organizer. Not having the personal INVOLVEMENT IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS traits of his brother, Raúl excels as a team per- the early 1990s, Raúl’s actions and words son, not a caudillo; he is a systematic and bril- Much has been said about Raúl’s lack of showed a considerable degree of self-criti- liant organizer, he asks for advice and he lis- involvement in international affairs. This is cism and restraint vis-á-vis the temptations of tens to other views. He is highly consistent, wrong from top to bottom. Not one single all-out repression when discontent and defi- down to earth and pragmatic. issue connected to Cuba’s foreign policy ance emerged in Cojímar and Regla (1993) escapes Raúl’s domain. He was a key negotia- and in the streets of Havana in 1994. RAÚL CRUCIAL TO PROMOTION OF BLACKS tor and player during the Cuban Missile Cri- He criticized the degree of violence dis- Raúl has fostered, supported and protected sis of 1962; he was involved in every approach played by MININT’s forces in Cojímar, spon- some of the most solid and influential institu- to the United States, he has exercised tight sored a meeting where these matters were tions in Cuban society today like the Revolu- control over Cuban intelligence operations discussed and opposed the violent reaction tionary Armed Forces, the Communist Party since the 1960s and even more today. from police forces in Regla, in late 1993. and the parliamentary body known as Poder Raúl has also played key roles in Angola PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE Popular. And the majority of average people and Ethiopia, has hosted every retired U.S. are very much aware of this. admiral and general visiting Cuba; mentor, But the one thing that is least known — and Raúl has been for decades the “godfather” coach and supervisor at every level of Cuba’s it becomes more important now — is Raúl’s of most of the UJC leaders promoted to party rapproachement with China. view that he was not going to be held respon- and government positions. He has been a con- Moreover, during the 1990s and until the sible for bringing out the tanks onto the sistent advocate of younger leaders. Many end of the Clinton administration, Raúl admit- streets,” clearly reflecting the understanding leaders today feel themselves closely ted in public several times that the dangers of and lessons drawn by the Cuban military attached to him, military and civilian alike. a U.S. aggression against Cuba had calmed from events at Tiennamen Square. He has been, and continues to be, an ardent down and were less threatening than ever Fidel Castro might very well come out alive and very vocal advocate in the promotion of before. Cooperation and normalcy were the from this current battle, but not for too long. blacks to leadership positions everywhere. rule at the Guantánamo Naval Base, and Unlike as in the past, he will have to face the fact that time is running out fast, and that his leadership style and commanding powers are fading away. What he will probably do Rodríguez: No to free-market economy then is to support his brother to the best of his abilities and remaining influence. uba’s economy grew by 12.5% during “It seems to me the comparison is not Until recently, most scenarios envisioned the first half of 2006, claims a top valid,” he said. Fidel dying and Raúl taking over entirely on CCastro confidante — but don’t expect Rodríguez attributed Cuba’s explosive his own, but now the Raúl scenario will come any changes in the Marxist-oriented eco- 12.5% growth to a surge in the construc- into play but with Fidel playing along. nomic system at all. tion, transport and service industries. Under these circumstances, Raúl will have Overall, Cuba should end 2006 with at José Luís Rodríguez, the country’s min- to move rather fast for one pressing reason: least 10% GDP growth thanks to higher ister of economy and planning, said Fidel he is 75. His background and credentials tend prices for the island’s two main commodity Castro’s health problems will not lead to to suggest that he’ll forge ahead to complete- exports: nickel and sugar (see page 8). any changes in Cuba’s economic system, ly reshape Cuba’s entire existing power struc- He also claimed Cuba’s GDP grew by nor does the regime have any interest in ture according to the lines of his political proj- 11.8% in 2005 — though almost no one out- following the Chinese example. ect from the early 1990s. side Cuba believes those numbers. “If people are thinking that there could This entails complete redistribution of the “We are moving forward in our policies be a change in Cuba’s policies toward an four powers previously concentrated in the opening of the economy in the hypothetical of favoring workers’ income, keeping un- employment at low levels and investing in hands of Fidel, effective collective leadership, case of the Comandante [Fidel Castro] re- greater participation of younger figures cou- maining ill, I can firmly say no,” Rodríguez our future ability to generate electricity at lower costs,” the minister said, adding that pled by a greater role for institutions, and a told a news conference Sep. 12 during the greater role for reforms, similar to China in Non-Aligned Summit in Havana. “It’s not Cuba plans to merge its local currency, the peso, and its convertible currencies, nick- some ways but on a much more Cuban scale. planned, nor is it the desire of the people.” One unavoidable comparison comes to He added: “We have come to the conclu- named the chavito, into one, as China did. He declined to give a timetable for such mind. Raúl Castro might very well be the sion that the development of the country is interim catalyst for broader changes within not in small businesses.” a move, which would put an end to Cuba’s the Cuban system, playing a similar role to Rodríguez said China’s rapid economic dual currency system. Almost all con- that of Deng Xiao-ping after the passing of growth and adoption of a market-oriented sumer products in Cuba are sold in conver- Chairman Mao Zedong. In any case, his con- economy is the result of “very particular tible pesos, which replaced the U.S. dollar characteristics” that don’t apply to Cuba. as the island’s currency of choice in 2004. tribution in reshaping and articulating a new “We are talking about a country of 1.3 Rodríguez told reporters it’s “too early” continuity will be decisive. billion habitants versus one of 11.2 mil- to assess the impact of increased invest- Domingo Amuchastegui, our political analyst, lion,” he said, adding that peasants make ment from Venezuela, which ships 98,000 is a former Cuban government intelligence offi- up 80% of China’s population and the coun- barrels of oil a day to Cuba and is helping cial who defected in 1994. Amuchastegui writes try does not face economic sanctions like the island renew its refining and electricity frequently on subjects ranging from South Flori- those placed on Cuba by the United States. generating capacity. da’s Cuban exile community to the inner work- ings of the Cuban Communist Party. September 2006 ❖ CubaNews 7 ENERGY India’s ONGC Videsh signs offshore oil exploration deal BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT and Norway’s Norsk Hydro in six blocks in an 112,000-sq-km offshore zone that was opened ndia’s state-run petroleum company has area where three years ago Repsol found indi- for foreign exploration in 1999. signed a deal to explore Cuba’s Gulf of cations of high-quality oil (see CubaNews, June Some Florida lawmakers have warned of IMexico waters for oil in an area covering 2006, page 1). possible environmental damage and want 4,300 sq kms (1,660 sq miles). The two new blocks signed for on Sep. 10 companies exploring with Cuba punished. The agreement was announced Sep. 10 by are just below the other blocks and closest to Prieto counters that U.S. companies are Fidel Rivero Prieto, director of Cubapetróleo the northwest coast where heavy crude is welcome — and that protests from Florida are (Cupet), who said that six foreign companies pumped from onshore, says Reuters. unwarranted since the companies involved had signed for 16 of 59 blocks in the Gulf — Canada’s Sherritt International has also use the latest and ecologically safest drilling two entities more than previously announced. signed for four blocks in Cuban waters, and techniques. The two are believed to be Malaysian and Chinese oil and gas giant Sinopec Corp. Jorge Piñón, an energy consultant with the Venezuelan. Prieto refused to name them or signed an agreement last year to produce University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and say which blocks they had taken, due to pos- heavy oil with Cupet in Cuba’s westernmost Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS), said the sible U.S. objections. “It is up to the compa- Pinar del Río province from onshore wells. involvement of Norsk Hydro — a leading off- nies to announce if they want,” he said. The possibility of striking oil just 90 miles shore oil producer — was significant. R.S. Butola, managing director of ONGC off U.S. shores at a time of soaring fuel prices “It gives an indication that the geology of Videsh, the overseas arm of India’s Oil and and rising global demand has set off a political the area must be extremely positive and has a Natural Gas Corp., told Reuters “what we are debate over whether U.S. companies, side- high possibility of producing oil in commer- doing is completely within the law.” lined by American sanctions, should be al- cial quantities,” Piñón told BBC News. ONGC Videsh is already a lowed to explore there, says Reuters. However, even if good quality reserves are joint-venture partner with Cuba’s share of the Gulf of Mexico was found, he believes it will be at least five years Spain’s Repsol-YPF established in 1977, when it signed treaties before production really gets going because with the United States and Mexico. The U.S. deep-water rigs are in short supply. Geological Survey estimated that the North Says Daniel Erikson, Caribbean program Cuba basin could contain some 4.6 billion bar- director at Inter-American Dialogue: “Compa- rels of oil, with a high-end potential of 9.3 bil- nies aren’t going to push for any change to lion barrels. Yet U.S. companies are barred U.S. law unless they really know that Cuba from exploring for oil in Cuba’s has substantial reserves.” 8 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 COMMODITIES Despite talk, 2006 sugar harvest yields dismal results uba’s sugar minister vowed to increase to Granma, sugar production to take advantage of 28 of those Csharply higher prices on the world mar- mills began ket, but even the government acknowledged the season that the challenge is just too difficult. late. And of Ulises Rosales del Toro said Aug. 7 that he 22 low-pro- expects to present to Fidel Castro a report on duction a commitment met in the planting, weeding mills, eight and fertilizing of Cuba’s sugar plantations by couldn’t Dec. 2 — the date Castro will officially cele- grind the brate his 80th birthday assuming he recovers amount of from his recent surgery. sugar cane Speaking in Pinar del Río, the former gen- that had eral said “production is in a recovery stage” been project- and that 126,000 hectares of land will be plant- ed and two ed with sugar cane this year. were shut But inefficient mills and a late start are down due to making things nearly impossible. “reiterated “The recently finished harvest demonstrat- inefficiency ed that hard work and final results don’t al- and high per-ton cost,” Granma reported. and more than half the sugar fields now used ways correspond,” the Communist Party Nicolás J. Gutiérrez, president of the exiled for other crops, Castro “couldn’t do an about- daily Granma reported in late June. National Association of Sugar Mill Owners of face if he wanted to,” said Florida Internatio- That was only four months after Castro Cuba, told the Miami Herald “there are al- nal University economist Antonio Jorge. announced that Cuba would shoot for a har- ways excuses — no spare parts, it’s the wea- “The industry is devastated. It has col- vest of 3 million tons, in order to take advan- ther. Even before this decline in production, lapsed,” Jorge told the newspaper. “It requires tage of prices that briefly exceeded 20 cents a Cuba was producing at 1907 levels. Maybe an investment in the order of $6-7 billion. I pound, up from 8c/lb in the late 1990s. now with the decline, they’re at 1800s levels.” don’t think he has the money, and I don’t But the real harvest is closer to 1.3 milion In April, Reuters reported that Cuba was think he’d spend it even if he had it. He has tons — less than a fifth of what was grown in looking for foreign investors for the first time other priorities” like tourism, biotechnology the 1950s — and about the same as what was since the industry was nationalized in 1959. and nickel mining. produced 100 years ago. When prices rose again, “Castro had sec- Meanwhile, Cuba is upgrading 11 ethanol That’s because Cuba only has 42 sugar ond thoughts,” Gutiérrez told the Herald. But production plants, said Luis Galvez of the mills in operation, down from 156 mills before the cutbacks made just four years ago were Cuban Research Institute for Sugar Cane the industry’s massive downsizing in 2002 too steep to recover, experts say. Derivatives. Cuba hopes to eventually produce (see CubaNews, July 2002, page 1). According With the workforce diverted to other jobs 500 liters of ethanol annually. Sherritt: U.S. crackdown on Cuban nickel is no big deal anada’s Sherritt International Corp., the Sherritt, which produces at least 50% of this nickel the United States, either in pure largest single foreign investor in Cuba, Cuba’s nickel, operates a joint venture with form or included in end products. C is responding angrily to the Bush admi- the Cuban government that last year export- Yet David Davidson, a mining analyst at nistration’s recent threat to crack down on ed 34,000 metric tons of nickel. The compa- Paradigm Capital in Toronto, told The Globe & Cuban nickel exports. ny’s chairman, Ian Delaney, said the new Mail that these new measures are unlikely to The threats come as nickel prices have threat “is the same nonsense that’s been tout- hurt Sherritt, since they seem to be merely a more than doubled since the start of the year, ed for years.” restatement of Helms-Burton. making it the best-performing base metal in Delaney told the Toronto newspaper “Sherritt has been under this cloud since 2006. Nickel is now selling for nearly $27,000 “there’s always been more heat than light in 1995 when they first started delivery of the per ton on the London Metals Exchange. this discussion” and that the idea that Cubans concentrate,” Davidson said, noting that trac- The White House announced last month it are hiding assets abroad is a “ludicrous joke.” ing Cuban-produced nickel is extremely diffi- Sherritt, which is also involved in Cuban oil would approve the recommendations of the cult. He gave as an example Cuban nickel that Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba — and gas exploration — and also runs a soy- bean processing plant near Varadero — is on is turned into stainless steel in Germany and one of which specifically calls for the estab- then becomes part of a jet engine made by lishment of “an inter-agency Cuban Nickel the State Department blacklist, meaning all Targeting Task Force.” its officers and directors including Delaney Rolls-Royce or another major manufacturer. The job of that task force, reports The Globe are banned from entering the United States “How do you track that? It’s impossible.” & Mail, will be to reinforce the existing nick- under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. The Miami-based Cuban Liberty Council, el import certification and control system. headed by Ninoska Pérez, lobbied hard for “The revenue from these sales does not go CUBAN NICKEL EXPORTS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP the new crackdown, arguing that Sherritt to benefit the Cuban people, but is diverted to From Sherritt’s joint-venture nickel mine at uses assets confiscated by the Cuban govern- maintain the regime’s repressive security Moa in Holguín province, the company ships ment from their original owners to help a dic- apparatus, and fund Castro’s interventionist the nickel by sea to Halifax, Nova Scotia. tatorial regime. and destabilizing policies in other countries in From there it’s sent by rail to Sherritt’s “Obviously, they have no concern about the the hemisphere,” said the report, noting that refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, abuses of human rights in Cuba,” Pérez told nickel exports now account for “nearly half of where it’s refined into metal and sold interna- the Canadian newspaper. “They’re just out to the regime’s current foreign income.” tionally, primarily to Europe. It is illegal to sell make a buck.” September 2006 ❖ CubaNews 9 POLITICAL ANALYSIS Cuba and China: Similarities and differences BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI tant. Nickel, cobalt and oil are vital to China’s clashed with Moscow’s leaders. s we approach the end of Fidel Castro’s economy. Because Cuba is a source for all But the list of differences between China era, especially after his failing health, three commodities, China is willing to grant and Cuba is enormous: A much has been discussed about the Cuba exceptional privileges in terms of finan- 1. China is an economy of unprecedented kind of changes or reforms that Raul Castro cial arrangements, insurance backing, re- scale with an ever-growing market. Cuba is a and the younger leadership might make. scheduling of debt and long-term investments small island economy of very limited scale. It has been a common assumption — for in mining, oil, biotechnology, and tourism. 2. China lies thousands of miles away from the sake of simplicity — to assert the thesis China is also prepared to engage in an the United States while Cuba is just 90 miles that such changes or reforms would follow in undisclosed range of military cooperation that away from U.S. shores. the footsteps of the Chinese experience. has included scores of high-level military del- 3. Chinese society, values, traditions, demo- graphics, and its ethnic and religious minori- Obviously, there is some truth in that egations visiting their respective nations. There is also another special advantage to ties, is very different from that of the more assumption, but there are also numerous dif- homogenous Cuban society with its own val- ferences and conditions that should be con- China: to prove how great their experience is in saving a collapsing socialist economy as ues and traditions. sidered in comparing China and Cuba. was the case with Cuba in the early ‘90s. This 4. The levels of interdependence and con- The works of Edward González, William is not only relevant to the past, present, and flict between China and the United States are Ratliff, Frank Mora and more recently Cuban future of socialist economies but also in send- entirely different from those existing between dissident Oscar Espinosa Chepe (Miami Her- ing a clear message to Third World econo- Cuba and the U.S. China is a big power on the ald, Aug. 11, 2006) have highlighted some re- mies, where Beijing exerts considerable influ- path to become a superpower. Cuba is not. levant issues when comparing both countries. ence. If China’s “recipe” works in the Cuban 5. Chinese overseas are closely intertwined Still, there are several areas of disagree- case, then its relevance will be even greater. with their motherland. Levels of conflict and ment and others issues that have not been hostility are minimal while cooperation is explored. The purpose of this essay is to exa- WHY CHINA IS NOT CUBA enormous, even among many Taiwanese. The mine various reasons for the current alliance Chinese KMT in Taiwan is no longer a domi- between both nations and to discuss their sim- However, there are very explicit limits in both areas as to what Cuba may get from its nant force. Its influence on overseas Chinese ilarities and differences. is minimal compared to that of Beijing. What can China find in the island of Cuba Chinese ally. But there is a much more so- that makes it so interesting for members of phisticated reasoning behind Cuba’s alliance with China and that is the value to Cuba of MIAMI POLITICS GET IN THE WAY China’s Military Commission and Politburo to The amount of capital, markets, and tech- visit the Caribbean nation and to persuade China’s position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. nologies in the hands of overseas Chinese is President Hu to declare China’s support of There is also China’s role as one of the huge and highly connected with that of China Cuba’s stand in unusually strong terms? most advanced world powers. An alliance with and plays a very big role in its extraordinary First, there is what can be described as the such a power is valuable beyond what the for- economic development. Chinese in the U.S. “mirror effect.” In the eyes of Chinese foreign mer Soviet Union had to offer Cuba. are not a belligerent lobby against relations policymakers, Cuba is to the United States The Soviet alliance was fruitless in terms of and cooperation with the People’s Republic. what Taiwan is to China. financing and investments and technological- None of the characteristics stated above THE TAIWAN FACTOR ly speaking it was largely a disaster. The old can be found among the Cuban political and USSR could not be compared to the United economic elites who control the Cuban exile As the issue of Taiwan has become more States and it was a collapsing economy. China community with a disproportionate overrep- tense and aggravating for Chinese policies, is precisely the opposite and offers Cuba a resentation in Congress (two senators and Beijing has increased its relations with Cuba. host of opportunities that were never there in three representatives), in the State of Florida, This has been a dominant trend since the its relationship with Moscow. and within the Republican Party. early 1990s, but especially in recent years fol- The USSR was a losing horse. According to Although the Cuban community has been lowing Taiwan’s increased hostility toward every prediction, China is the fastest-growing changing in its composition and attitudes China backed by the Bush administration. power in the world, and the Cuban leadership since the 1980s and 1990s due to the changing A second important dimension in Beijing’s is ready to make the most of it.The two coun- nature of recent Cuban immigrants, one can current alliance with Cuba is that Cuba is tries represent radical revolutions based on still find a majority who are absolutely hostile. located in the heart of the Caribbean where the peasantry but with overwhelming support In fact, close to 50% of Cubans in Miami would Taiwan has been able to retain diplomatic among a wider range of social groupings welcome an American military invasion of recognition from a considerable number of (working class, lower middle class, intellectu- Cuba as the ideal outcome. Policymakers in the region’s states. als), with strong leaders experimenting with Havana pay careful attention to the conflict Cuba’s political influence throughout the programs ranging from Flourishing 100 Flow- with the U.S. and its Cuban allies in Miami. region is extremely valuable to China’s long- ers to Palabras a Los Intelectuales. Nevertheless, the Chinese experience, term policy of eroding Taiwan’s standing. More recently, we could draw some paral- together with the current alliance between First, Cuba is an important political actor lels between the Four Modernizations from the two countries, will be the most inspiring with strong ties to influential political forces the late ‘70s in China to perfeccionamiento em- source for redesigning the Cuban system for and governments from which China benefits; presarial in Cuba since the early 1980s, open- the simple reason that it is the best way to second, Cuba has throughout the region a ing different avenues to what the Chinese avoid a Tiananmen Square. positive and constructive image derived from have called a “market socialist economy.” Upon this assumption lies much of the its alliance with China, an image aimed at un- The Chinese Revolution exerted a signifi- cohesiveness and consensus of the Cuban dermining Taiwan’s fading regional leverage. cant influence throughout the world and the leadership. For Cuba, taking the Chinese path These two factors today are increasingly Cuban Revolution has also had a similar influ- to market socialism will be different than the reinforced by the alliance between Venezuela ence. Indeed, many will agree that in some Chinese experience and will proceed at a dif- and Cuba, which is a third factor that has aug- ways Cuba has had the greater influence. The ferent pace — a very much adjusted version mented China’s interest in Cuba. two countries were also allies of the former in Cuban terms. It will not take place over- Economic considerations are no less impor- Soviet Union and at times openly defied and night, before or after Castro passes away. 10 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 FOREIGN TRADE A year after Katrina, Louisiana once again considers Cuba BY LARRY LUXNER signed following ne year after Hurricane Katrina devas- Blanco’s visit to Cu- tated their state, officials in Baton ba to result in $15 ORouge are once again turning their million in sales to attention to Cuba — and the opportunities the Alimport, the Cu- island offers for Louisiana. ban government’s Michael J. Olivier, Louisiana’s secretary of state food importer. These include economic development, vowed that despite pledges to buy tons other pressing priorities, the state would of milled rice, pow- resume efforts to forge trade ties with Cuba. dered milk and He noted that during the 1950s, Cuba was other goods from Louisiana’s top trading partner, ranking No. 1 Louisiana firms. in imports and No. 7 in exports. Trade with “Such commitment and sales are a promis- Cuba accounted for 6,000 Louisiana jobs; 20% ing start to a trading relationship that will be of the state’s pine lumber went to Cuba, and essential to the successful revitalization of over 30% of all goods passing through the Katrina’s legacy (above); Gov. Kathleen Blanco Louisiana,” he said. “Short-term, it’s about the Port of New Orleans were Cuba-bound. opportunity to sell Louisiana products to “Prior to [Katrina and Rita], Louisiana took more sense to allow the private sector the Cuba and support our producers and farmers. steps to revive our historical partnership with freedom to develop relationships with the In the long term, this agreement can reposi- Cuba, made possible thanks to very recent future leaders of Cuba now?” tion Louisiana as an important trade partner policy changes, and take advantage of the A study conducted by McNeese State Uni- with Cuba.” opportunities that partnership offers,” he versity has determined that every ton of prod- Haynie is even more vocal. said. “We have a long history of trade with uct sold to Cuba generates $50 in the local “The greatest potential to lift the Gulf Coast Cuba and had a profitable and equitable busi- economy and $75 in the state economy. The back onto its feet lies in trade with Cuba,” he ness relationship until 1959.” Port of Lake Charles reports that those dol- said. “Cuba was Louisiana’s number one trad- In March 2005, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen lars translate to$6.60 of direct revenues per ing partner for many years during the first Blanco visited Cuba and enjoyed lunch with ton in its revenue-generating operation. half of the 20th century. Besides Louisiana, Fidel Castro — a controversial trip that was other Gulf Coast states with strong economic quickly forgotten in the aftermath of Katrina, STATE OFFICIALS FRUSTRATED BY U.S. POLICY ties to our neighbor to the south, for example which slammed into the Gulf Coast on Aug. Significantly, the first shipment of U.S. rice Texas and Florida, lost a key trading partner. 29, 2005, killing over 1,000 people and leaving to Cuba in 2002 under the Trade Sanctions “This condition has persisted for 45 years, New Orleans a flooded mess. For months, Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSRA) leaving the Gulf Coast states more vulnerable Cuba wasn’t on anyone’s radar screens (see was from the Port of Lake Charles. That year, to economic hardship, as exemplified by the CubaNews, January 2006, page 7). their shipments to Cuba — which includes consequences of recent hurricanes.” But that may be changing as Louisiana offi- primarily rice, peas and lentils — exceeded Haynie blamed the Bush administration’s cials seek to resume the expansion of lucra- 7,600 tons. “routine lack of consideration for the Gulf tive export markets. Between 2001 and 2004, the Port of New region” for the area’s high poverty levels. “The Bush administration has devoted mil- Orleans shipped more than $446 million of “If not for recent tightening of trade restric- lions of dollars toward ‘hastening’ political the $800 million in U.S. agricultural commo- tions with Cuba by the administration, in- transition in Cuba,” complained Baton Rouge dities sold to Cuba through TSRA. creased imports would have strengthened businessman Randy Haynie. “Doesn’t it make Olivier said he fully expects contracts these important relations,” he complained. The businessman noted that Alimport was prepared to spend $750-800 million on U.S. 2006 hurricane season: so far, so good food purchases this year. But because of U.S. regulations, Cuba was forced to buy from hree storms — Florence, Gordon and 1948, which passed over Cuba twice. He other, more secure food providers. Helene — were swirling around the attributed the intensity of storms to high “Is our government reduced to follow the T Atlantic at press time, though none of water surface temperatures, which average whims of a self-serving Miami-based political them posed much of a threat to the Caribbean 26.6 degrees C at this time of year. engine?” charged Haynie. “It is grossly unfair or the U.S. mainland. Dennis, a Category 4 monster, was by far that the Gulf region — for almost half a cen- “September and October are the most dan- the most damaging of all, causing $1.4 billion tury — should have to bear the brunt of a gerous months for the formation of hurri- in losses (for a detailed account of Dennis, see failed policy that has more to do with retribu- canes, especially the first half of September,” CubaNews, August 2005, pages 2, 3, 6 and 7). tion than meeting practical American policy said Armando Caimares Ortía, one of Cuba’s Tropical Storm Arlene and Hurricane Rita goals. top meteorologists. didn’t cause major problems for Cuba, though After 45 years, we demand the opportunity Nevertheless, Ortía told Juventud Rebelde, Hurricane Wilma — which never actually to pursue a new approach of constructive the hurricane season so far this year has been struck the island — hung along the Cuban engagement because we believe we can do quite mild compared to that of 2005. Last year, coast for several days, causing torrential better.” by this time Dennis and Katrina had already rains, crushing chunks of Havana’s famous struck Cuba, in what would become the most Malecón seawall and flooding homes with Details: Michael J. Olivier, Secretary, active hurricane season in recorded history, waist-deep water (see CubaNews, November Louisiana Department of Economic Develop- with 25 named storms. 2005, page 3). ment, PO Box 94185, Baton Rouge, LA 70804. Caimares said that some storms repeat Wilma left an estimated $704 million in their trajectories around this time of year; he losses. It damaged 7,589 dwellings including Tel: (225) 342-5388. Fax: (225) 342-9095. cited as an example the hurricane of Sep. 20, 446 houses that were completely destroyed. E-mail: [email protected]. September 2006 ❖ CubaNews 11 RELIGION Cuba’s Jews mull uncertain future in a post-Fidel scenario BY LARRY LUXNER regime. He insists everything is normal. personality or charisma as Fidel, and the peo- uban Jews on both sides of the Florida “We revolutionary Cubans feel very deep in ple of Cuba follow Fidel.” Straits reacted with emotions ranging our hearts for the news about Fidel’s illness,” Last year, the United Nations voted 179-4 to Cfrom joy to sadness to unbridled patriot- said Oltuski, 75, speaking to CubaNews from condemn Washington’s embargo of Cuba. ism, following the Jul. 31 announcement that Havana. “We feel sure that he’ll be back soon, Only the United States, Israel, Palau and the Fidel Castro — for the first time in 47 years — and that meanwhile Raúl Castro will take over Marshall Islands voted against the resolution; was no longer president of Cuba. the government. We have great confidence in Micronesia abstained. “I would like to say kaddish for him and his Raúl. Everything will keep on going.” Even so, private Israeli companies have in- henchmen as soon as possible,” quipped Oltuski, who recently wrote a book about vested heavily in Cuban agriculture and real- Moisés Asís, a former leader of Havana’s his life as a Marxist, added with pride: “We estate ventures, and former Mossad spy chief Jewish community who fled the island in have all come to one conclusion: while Fidel is Rafael Eitan — now a member of Knesset — ill, we must keep on working very hard and 1992, eventually settling in Miami. recently announced that Fidel Castro would “Most Cuban Jews here feel the same way I with great confidence in the future of the Cuban revolution.” light a menorah at a public Chanukah service do, but in Cuba, they’re not free to express in Havana this December, for the first time in their beliefs,” Asís told us. “When Fidel dies, DESPITE HOSTILITY, ISRAELI FIRMS INVESTING Cuban history. they’ll cry for him the same way Soviet Jews Cuban exiles in Miami come to a very dif- Now, some people doubt Fidel will even cried for Stalin when he died, and the same make it to Chanukahl way Jews in Egypt cried when Nasser died.” ferent conclusion. “In Cuba, nobody’s going to talk. They're “For me, it really doesn’t change anything," An estimated 500 to 800 Jews live in Cuba, said Miriam Saul, an Atlanta Jewish commu- down from over 15,000 before the revolution. all afraid,” said Bernardo Benes, a 71-year-old Jewish banker who left Cuba in 1960, at the nity leader who has brought 20 humanitarian By the mid-1990s, there were still around groups to Cuba over the last five years. “For 1,500 Jews in Cuba, but about half of them are age of 25. Over the years, Benes has received death threats from other Cuban exiles for his me, the government is the government, and believed to have emigrated to Israel over the what I do with the Jewish community is total- past 10 years. outspoken support of negotiation, rather than confrontation, with the Castro regime. ly separate.” Cuba has five synagogues: three in Havana, Saul, whose family left Cuba immediately one in the central provincial capital of “We’ll have to see how things develop. I personally believe this is going to continue for after the revolution, said she will continue Camagüey, and one in the eastern city of bringing Jewish groups to her native island Santiago de Cuba. awhile, but nobody knows how long,” he told Jews enjoy relative freedom of religion in us. “Obviously, Raúl doesn’t have the same no matter what. Cuba, despite the regime’s hostile position towards Israel. Castro broke diplomatic rela- tions with Israel in 1974, following the Yom Cuban media on the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict Kippur War, and just last month angrily con- “Not even the Nazis undertook a retaliation of such proportions against a civilian popula- demned the “Israeli genocide against inno- tion.” — Radio Habana Cuba, Jul. 1, 2006. cent civilians” in Lebanon, without mention- “The Israeli military counts on the total support of the government of the American ing a word about Hezbollah aggression President George W. Bush in their attempt to control Lebanon, as part of a large economic against Israel. and oil-producing zone of the Middle East.” — Granma, Aug. 9, 2006. Isaac Russo, president of Havana’s local “The real purpose are the hegemonic plans of Tel Aviv and Washington in the region to B’nai B’rith chapter, couldn’t be reached for dominate all the energy resources in the area. Also in Gaza the Israeli Army commits geno- comment. But Stanley Cohen, international cide and has left a humanitarian catastrophe.” — Mesa Redonda, Jul. 18, 2006. chairman of the Pittsburgh-based B’nai B’rith “In Gaza, the army of Israel proceeds with its work of extermination, with more than 150 Cuba Jewish Relief Project, said he spoke Palestinians dead and 1,500 wounded, mostly children, in less than a month. This attack is with Russo by phone, and that the Jewish part of the fascist designs over the Palestinian people, which proclaim the alleged Israeli leader assured him there wouldn’t be any right over all of the lands of that Arab population.” — Mesa Redonda, Jul. 28, 2006. major changes as long as Fidel is alive. “The Zionist regime has shielded itself behind the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier to inten- Yet Cohen was gloomy about the immedi- sify their genocide of the Palestinian people.” — Radio Habana Cuba, Jun. 30, 2006. ate future, noting that Raúl, 75, has a reputa- “Qana will be a symbol of cruelty and barbarity, no less than Auschwitz for example, or tion for being “difficult.” the multitudinous crimes of the European colonies and American slavery. The water con- “Raúl is in charge of the armed forces, and verted into blood that is running through Qana today is not the work of any miracle. They in the last year he’s been given much more are another disastrous chapter, as immune as the others, of Zionist racism, happily exer- responsibility for security,” he warned. cised by the pilots of some modern aircraft of U.S. manufacture.” — Granma, Aug. 1, 2006. “Security has been much tighter, and “The indignation grows throughout the world and will not cease until an end is put to the should get even more tighter now. People will holocaust suffered by the Lebanese and Palestinian people.” — Ricardo Alarcón, Granma, have to watch themselves, though the Jewish Aug. 1, 2006. community doesn't feel it’ll be treated differ- “The [armaments] with which this genocide is being committed, are supplied by the ently from anyone else, except for possible United States. With rare exceptions, the European Union has served as an accomplice and anti-Semitism because of what’s going on in has accepted the bland statements imposed by the Empire on the other side of the Atlantic.” the Middle East. The Office of Religious — Statement from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aug. 4, 2006. Affairs has assured [Russo] there won’t be “Israel, violating all the norms of international law, militarily assaults a sovereign country any problems.” under the spurious pretext of “protecting their security,” with the economic and military sup- Enrique Oltuski, a hardline Communist port and the flagrant complicity and perfidy of the U.S. government, which guarantees the who fought alongside Che Guevara in the impunity of the aggressor regime. To that is added the shameful and cowardly passivity of 1950s against the Batista dictatorship, is the European Union.” — Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relations, Jul. 14, 2006. Cuba’s vice-minister of fisheries and one of the highest-ranking Jews in the Castro 12 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 BUSINESS BRIEFS body coming from genetically modified plants. COFFEE CROP COULD BE THE BEST IN YEARS It's used in the process of purifying the active Cuban agricultural officials say better weath- ingredient of the Hepatitis B vaccine produced NEW MEXICO’S NAVAJOS INK ALIMPORT DEAL er, improved organization and higher prices in Cuba by CIGB and sold under the trade- will bring a recovery in coffee production The Navajo Indian tribe has signed a letter mark Heberbiovac-HB. from last season’s record-low crop. of intent to sell wheat, apples, yellow corn, In comparison with the traditional produc- onions and pinto beans to Cuba — marking tion process, starting from the ascitic liquid of Reuters reported Aug. 21 that coffee picking New Mexico’s first agricultural agreement the mouse, obtaining the antibody from genet- is getting underway in Cuba’s eastern moun- with Cuba’s state-run Alimport agency. ically modified tobacco plants, has advantages tains, where 85% of the crop is grown. The agreement, signed in late August, came due to higher levels of safety and industrial Last year’s Hurricane Dennis passed near as Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Tsosie Lewis, possibilities. coffee-growing areas in eastern Cuba in July, general manager of the Navajo Agricultural Borroto made it clear that the tobacco plan- then slammed into the rest of the ripening Products Industry (NAPI), met in Havana tations which were genetically modified have beans in central Cuba, leaving output estimat- with Alimport’s chairman, Pedro Alvarez. nothing to do with the commercial strains of ed by Reuters at 140,000 60-kg bags. That’s “This is a big market out there. I see this as that plant now cultivated in Cuba. 25% less than the previous harvest. laying the groundwork for many future trade He noted that the CIGB has taken appropri- Cuba’s Agriculture Ministry regularly refus- deals with Cuba,” Udall told the Associated ate actions to avoid possible risks to the envi- es comment on the harvest, and the govern- Press. “I think we would be better off drop- ronment when cultivating transgenic strains. ment and state-run media don’t report the ping these restrictions and having free trade This production process is confined to special total crop, though provincial information is with Cuba.” controlled growing areas, where the technolo- more frequently available. Added Lewis: “We are honored that our gy is specifically created for that purpose. According to local sources, above-average products will help feed the Cuban people.” NAPI, which cultivates 68,000 acres of land near Farmington, N.M., is one of the Navajo Nation’s largest employers, with about 400 workers. The company already has an agree- ment with Mexico to sell pinto beans. Udall said NAPI plans to expand its opera- LARRY LUXNER tions in the next five years, and if successful, it could help solve some of the unemployment problems that plague the reservation. The congressman also said he and Cuban officials also discussed the possibility of set- ting up a cultural exchange between New Mexico and Cuba. Details: NAPI, PO Drawer 1318, Farming- ton, NM 87499. Tel: (505) 566-2600. Fax: (505) 324-9548. URL: www.navajopride.com. BARCELÓ PLANS 6 NEW HOTELS IN CUBA Spanish hotel chain Barceló will open six Entrance to Jagüey Grande in Matanzas province, home to the world’s largest citrus orchard. new properties in Cuba between now and 2010, according to Travel Trade Caribbean. Citrus crop recovers from last year’s disasters This will bring Barceló’s Cuba portfolio to nine hotels with a combined 4,500 rooms. agüey Grande, Cuba’s largest citrus tion, the Agriculture Ministry reported. Three of these properties will be run by orchard, expects output close to 600,000 The Jagüey Grande orchard, just east of Spanish-Cuban joint ventures and will be situ- Jtons of oranges and grapefruit during Havana, accounts for around 60% of Cuba’s ated on tourist-oriented islands of Cayo Santa the 2006-07 harvest, following a rough prior citrus crop and up to 80% percent of all cit- María and Santa Lucía. season due to a hurricane and drought. rus-related exports. Barceló entered the Cuban market in 2003 Reuters, quoting from a Radio Rebelde The picking season runs from late August with the opening of the Barceló Solymar in report, said the 23,000 hectare, state-run through June, with grapefruit harvested Varadero. It then opened a second Varadero orchard — the largest contiguous planting into December and oranges after that. resort, and then a third on Cayo Largo. At the of citrus trees in the world — “at this While no recent figures were available, moment, Barceló’s three properties have a Jagüey Grande said it exported 19,500 tons combined 1,500 rooms. moment has a yield of 25 tons per hectare, the highest in the country,” for an estimated of fresh fruit in 2003-04, with the rest processed into 39,000 tons of concentrate final output of 575,000 tons by June 2007. CUBA DEVELOPS MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY and 600 tons of extract. Output at the Israeli-managed orchard in The first-ever monoclonal antibody obtained Israeli investors, operating through the from transgenic plants for the purpose of puri- western Matanzas province fell by at least Panama-based BM Group, have a 50% stake fying a human vaccine was registered in Cuba 50% last season when Hurricane Dennis in in the Heroes de Girón citrus plant and pro- by the State Center for the Control of early July downed the ripening grapefruit vide financing for the crop. Medication Quality (CECMED), a regulatory and also damaged orange groves. According to Reuters, the government arm of Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health. Cuba reported total 2005 output of reported there were 30,711 hectares dedi- Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory sub- 155,650 tons of grapefruit and 342,431 of cated to oranges across the country and stances that are joined to specific cells, and Valencia oranges, compared with 225,000 20,809 hectares to grapefruit. each one only recognizes a protein or antigen tons and 495,000 tons respectively in 2004. Citrus products are Cuba’s No. 2 agricul- as its target. Some 80% of the crop is processed into tural export after tobacco, earning close to Dr. Carlos Borroto, deputy director of the juice by five plants across Cuba, 5% export- $100 million. Fresh fruit and concentrate go Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotech- ed fresh and sold to the tourism industry, mainly to Europe as they are banned from nology (CIGB), told the Communist Party and the rest used for domestic consump- the United States under the embargo. daily Granma this is the first moclonal anti- September 2006 ❖ CubaNews 13 rainfall this year has broken a 3-year drought resentatives from a dozen countries on the Cohiba,” the company said in a statement in eastern and central Cuba and the area to first day of an international congress on sugar from Havana, adding that Cuba grants trade- date has been spared hurricane damage. and its derivatives. mark protection to over 5,000 U.S. brands. “If there isn’t a hurricane again this year, we Baron said Brazil, a major sugar producer According to the Sun-Sentinel, some U.S. are going to harvest coffee for real,” a farmer and leading producer of ethanol from cane, lawyers worried the Supreme Court decision in the mountains near Santiago de Cuba told has become a model for developing nations could backfire, prompting Cuba to retaliate Reuters by telephone. “We have had perfect looking for ways to get a better economic against U.S. trademarks registered in Cuba. weather, a lot of rain but not too much. I’m return from their sugar crop while producing “My concern is whether they’ll retroactively going to pick three times what I did last year,” a renewable fuel. assail U.S. marks,” Miami attorney Jorge he said, asking not to be named. Even Cuba, which gets most of its petrole- Espinosa of Kluger Peretz Kaplan Berlin law There was similar optimism in Guantanamo um on highly favorable terms from firm — who has registered U.S. brands on the province, last year’s top producer, accounting Venezuela, could benefit by producing island — told Hemlock. for 70% of 2005 exports. ethanol for its own use, he said. General Cigar registered the Cohiba name “What may help the harvest most is the sub- Cuba, which has been restructuring its in the United States in 1981 and updated its stantial increase in coffee prices, which allows once crucial sugar industry since 2002, is up- registration in 1995. It has been selling us to increase what we pay for beans,” state- grading 11 ethanol production plants, said Lu- Dominican-made Cohibas for decades. run radio quoted a local coffee official saying. ís Galvez of the Cuban Research Institute for Cubatabaco sued in 1997, claiming rights to Cuba’s growers, in exchange for low-inter- Sugar Cane Derivatives. Cuba hopes to even- the name under U.S. law and international est government credits and subsidized sup- tually produce 500 liters of ethanol annually. treaty. It argued the Cohiba name resonates plies, must sell all of their coffee to the state with U.S. consumers as a premium Cuban at prices well below what the beans fetch on CUBA NOW TOP RECIPIENT OF BANCOEX LOANS cigar — even though the embargo bars Cu- the black market. Local analysts said the sys- Venezuela’s Foreign Commerce Bank ban products from entering the United States. tem led to low production and the diversion of (Bancoex) up to July has granted loans General Cigar, owned since 2000 by 10-20% of the crop. amounting to $90.8 million, a 96% increase Sweden’s Swedish Match AB, markets a Picking begins in August and ends in compared to the same period in 2005, reports Dominican cigar whose label sports a red dot March, though most beans are harvested El Universal newspaper of Caracas. in the O. Cuba’s Cohibas have a gold, black from October into January. Through 2000 Bancoex President Gustavo Márquez said and white band. Cuba, earned around $20 million annually increased interest in new markets such as from coffee exports, but in recent years low Cuba and Bolivia has boosted the bank’s cred- IRAN SHIPS 500 RAIL CARS TO CUBA prices and declining production have cut it portfolio. He noted that 63% of the bank’s Iran will be exporting 500 freight and pas- export revenues by around 75%, according to credit portfolio is earmarked to fund senger trains to Cuba valued at $135 million, government export data. Venezuelan exporters operating through said the Cuban deputy minister of transporta- Cuba imports lesser quality coffee mainly credit lines with banks based in Mercosur tion noted. from Vietnam to meet domestic demand. member countries and the Bolivarian The news came during Roberto Ricardo Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). Mauro’s visit to Pars Wagon Co. in Arak, 250 ALARCÓN BLASTS OFAC OVER SCOTIABANK CASE “Since 2005, Cuba has become the top desti- km southwest of Tehran, after signing the Ricardo Alarcón, president of Cuba’s Natio- nation of non-traditional exports funded by purchase contract for 500 wagons. nal Assembly, accused the U.S. government of Bancoex,” said Márquez said. Since ALBA “Rail business plays a central role in Cuba’s making the Jamaican branch of Canada’s was established last year, Colombia is no transportation policy and delivery time of the Scotiabank deny its services to the Cuban longer the top destination of exports funded rail cars is crucial to us,” Mauro announced. Embassy in Kingston. by Bancoex, while the southern markets con- The top executive at Pars Wagon said the Gisela García Rivero, Cuba’s ambassador to tinue to grow; new clients include Iran, China rail cars will be delivered in 2007; the compa- Jamaica, was advised by the bank that it could and Russia. ny has already signed two other export con- not give service to the Cuban mission in com- tracts with China and Sudan, worth a com- pliance with the U.S. Patriot Act. That act was COURT FAVORS U.S. IN COHIBA DISPUTE bined $49 million. passed in the wake of 9/11 to prevent funds The U.S. government has upheld the rights from being diverted to terrorist groups. of a New York company to use the Cohiba GENETICISTS STUDY CUBAN TWINS According to Alarcón, Washington ordered brand name on cigars it makes outside Cuba. Five out of 1,000 births in Cuba are twins, the Canadian bank to extend U.S. sanctions Doreen Hemlock, writing in the South according to experts speaking at the recent on Cuba in financial and banking matters to Florida Sun-Sentinel, says the decision not to Congress on Community Genetics in Havana. the Cuban Embassy in Kingston. The Cuban hear a Cuban appeal basically allows recent Eight provinces surveyed — Pinar del Río, official said this action snubs Jamaican and rules on the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos, Canadian sovereignty. to trump an older international treaty on Villa Clara, Guantánamo, Matanzas and the trademarks, Isle of Youth — are home to 46,430 twins and ETHNAOL PRODUCTION UP WORLDWIDE Bolstered by the decision, U.S. trademark 531 triplets. Among twins, 5,973 pairs were Sugar-producing nations are increasingly holder General Cigar Co. said it will crack identical in their genetic information, meaning using cane to produce ethanol as they seek down in the United States “against manufac- 11,946 individuals. Of the total, 18,857 cases new markets for the traditional crop and turers, distributors and retailers of counterfeit had a family history of twin births. demand for renewable fuel soars, said world Cohiba cigars,” including cigars made in Among other factoids: 54 twins are 90 to 95 sugar experts meeting in Havana. Cuba and those with fake Cohiba labels. years old. Of these, both individuals are alive Peter Baron, president of the London-based General Cigar makes its Cohibas in the in 12 pairs, while eight more pairs are over International Sugar Organization, was quoted Dominican Republic. But Cuba's government- 100 years old and one is even 108. by AP as saying about 70% of ethanol pro- owned tobacco company, Cubatabaco, said it Cuban geneticists say this will enable them duced worldwide is now made from cane. would keep up the fight and take its request to study the genetic and non-genetic charac- “This will help to keep sugar prices up,” to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of teristics that helped these individuals reach Baron. “You know we had a few years of very Foreign Assets Controls, which oversees the “extreme longevity.” low sugar prices — very, very low.” U.S. trade embargo. Another study is being conducted on the Worldwide, about 38.7 billion liters of “Cubatabaco especially emphasizes that the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease, which ethanol are expected to be produced this year United States is obligated by international affects 8% of those 65 years and older — a from a variety of sources, compared with 33.6 treaties and the World Trade Organization similar ratio to that found in the United States billion liters in 2005, Baron told about 200 rep- agreement to protect well-known brands like and Europe. 14 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 GEOGRAPHY Isla de la Juventud: Cuba’s only ‘island municipality’ BY ARMANDO H. PORTELA This is the second in a series of monthly gained only 206 inhabitants, resulting in a articles on Cuba’s provinces by cartographer 2005 population of 86,825, according to the sla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth) — known Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas. until 1978 as Isla de Pinos (Isle of Pines) Armando H. Portela, who has a Ph.D. in geo- graphy from the Soviet Academy of Sciences. Some 46,536 people (53.6% of the total), live I — is the largest of all the islands and islets in the capital, Nueva Gerona, whose popula- within Cuban territory. tion has been shrinking by 0.3% annually over Sizewise, its 2,204 square kilometers (851 A widespread belief that Isla de Pinos the past four years. square miles) make it the sixth-largest island would become part of the United States lured The second-largest settlement is Santa Fe, in the Caribbean, outranking all of the Lesser hundreds of American families to settle in the with nearly 13,000 inhabitants. Antilles except for Trinidad. It is separated countryside and develop the island’s first Two out of three pineros live in these two from the main island of Cuba by the shallow farms and grapefruit orchards. towns; the rest live in a handful of villages waters of the Gulf of Batabanó. As exports grew, the island prospered. But with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants apiece. after the Hay-Quesada Treaty of 1925 recog- HISTORY These days, the number of people leaving the nized Cuba’s sovereignty over Isla de Pinos, island exceeds that of newcomers. Isla de la Juventud has enjoyed the status of most of the American families returned to the special municipality since 1976, following U.S mainland, leaving behind English place GEOGRAPHY names — most of them now in disuse. changes in Cuba’s administrative structure The island’s topography is primarily flat, adopted by the Communist Party. It falls und- POPULATION but hills with steep cliffs rising from the plains er the direct jurisdiction of the Cuban govern- around Nueva Gerona — its main city and the ment, with no intermediate provincial status. For decades, Isla de la Juventud had the port of entry for all visitors — give the erro- Historians believe that the native popula- fastest-growing population in Cuba. From just neous impression of a rugged landscape. The tion called the island Tamaraco, but Colum- 11,000 residents in 1959, the population grew highest point rises to 303 meters (994 feet) at bus named it Evangelista upon first sighting it rapidly, reaching 30,000 in 1970 and 58,000 in Sierra de la Cañada in the central part of the in 1494. The island remained forgotten and 1981. This boom was largely due to migration island. The Sierra de Caballos, east of Nueva depopulated for centuries. In the 17th centu- from the eastern provinces who used the Gerona, rises to 295 meters (968 feet). ry, it was dubbed the Isle of Treasure because island as a springboard to reach Havana. Between the agricultural north and the sav- Caribbean pirates operated there; some local But as in the rest of Cuba, economic crisis age south, the Lanier Swamp, with thick depo- names (such as the Agustín Jol cove in the in the 1990s eventually slowed population sits of peat, provides a natural barrier. Locally, south), occasional archaeological findings growth to only 0.6% a year between 1993 and the inaccessible southern plain beyond the and legends remain of that period. 2000 — compared to 8.5% a year in the 1970s Lanier swamp is known as El Sur. After Cuba’s independence in 1902, Isla de — and to 0.3% a year between 2000 and 2005. A line of low-lying keys stretching to the Pinos had only 3,200 people, while its jurisdic- In the past three years, Isla de la Juventud has southeast is also under the island’s jurisdic- tion remained subject to negotiations with the tion. They hold great potential for tourism United States, which claimed the island. development. The keys are mostly swampy, covered with dense red mangrove forests. Other islets rise a few feet above the sea level and are composed by hardened sand dunes, most evident in Cayo Largo. Poor in nutrients and highly acidic (pH below 4.5) the soils of Isla de la Juventud are generally unfit for agriculture, and require constant fertilization and treatment. The low- lying areas have very poor drainage and the center of the territory has suffered from ero- sion. About 12% of the island’s soils are saline. September 2006 ❖ CubaNews 15 In the mid-60s, freshwater reservoirs were less than 20% of Cuba’s total grapefruit pro- year the plant expects $500,000 in revenues. built in the north to suit the needs of agribusi- duction. With output now at 20,000 tons, In the past, small quantities of gold and ness and a growing population. As result, nat- yields are a far cry from the 152,680 tons har- tungsten were mined on the island, but ural drainage became intensely regulated, vested in 1988. Over the past five years, pro- reserves are now apparently exhausted. and the island now has a storage capacity duction has been catastrophically damaged Fisheries and canning plants add another eco- exceeding 180 million cubic meters (47.5 bil- by hurricanes. nomic component, with lobster and tuna the lion gallons) or 600,000 gallons per resident, In 1975, the government opened an Argen- most valuable species processed here. well beyond the island’s needs. The largest tine citrus processing plant with a nominal reservoirs are La Nuevas del Medio, with a juice and citrus concentrate production of 24 INFRASTRUCTURE capacity of 44.5 million cubic meters (11.8 bil- tons per hour. During the 2003-04 harvest, Isla de la Juventud’s main link with the rest lion gallons) and Vietnam, which holds 43.2 production barely reached 68 tons of juice of Cuba is by sea, with ferries covering the 64 million cubic meters (11.4 billion gallons). concentrate per day, for a total production of nautical miles from Nueva Gerona — the In the past 100 years, the original pine for- 264 tons — down from 700 tons of concen- island’s only port — to Batabanó on the south ests in the north have been mostly cut down trate produced in 2001. coast of Havana province. A domestic airport to make room for farming. Dense tropical, Historically, high-quality dairy cows have offers regular flights between Nueva Gerona semi-deciduous forests and bushes abound in been raised here, including the world record- and Havana, with occasional flights to Pinar the south, and mangrove wetlands are well- holder Ubre Blanca, but the island’s herd was del Río and Santiago de Cuba. preserved but lack real commercial value. largely depleted as result of the economic cri- An international airport at Cayo Largo del sis of the ‘90s. Reportedly more than 80% of Sur, the third-busiest in Cuba, offers tourists AGRICULTURE the grasslands are infested with marabá, a direct flights to and from Europe, Canada and The economic base of Isla de la Juventud is thorny bush up to 10 feet high that quickly South America. A 750-km (465-mile) network clearly agriculture, though fishing, mining spreads over unattended grazing lands. of paved and dirt roads connects all settle- and tourism are all growing in importance. At two million liters per year, milk produc- ments throughout the island. Since the early 20th century, citrus has tion is only a shadow of the 8-10 million liters been the island’s main product. About 14,400 produced annually in the 1980s. TOURISM hectares (35,700 acres) of citrus groves — The cigar boom of the late 1990s brought With over 1,000 hotel rooms in eight hotels, 90% of them grapefruit orchards — cover the tobacco — a crop abandoned since the 19th Cayo Largo del Sur, to the southeast, is a rap- center of the island, where the land is higher century — back to Isla de la Juventud. The idly growing destination for foreign tourists. and the drainage better. island currently produces a modest amount Cayo Largo measures 14.5 square miles Isla de la Juventud currently accounts for of tobacco leaf and also makes its own cigars. and boasts a 17-mile-long, white-sand beach INDUSTRY stretching along its south coast. The island is covered with low bushes and scattered with From relatively abundant salty marshes that provide a habitat for croco- depo-sits, Isla de la Juventud diles, iguanas, birds and turtles. produces a variety of coarse- In 2002, CubaNews reported that Vancou- grain gray marble that was once ver-based Leisure Canada Inc. would build a widely used in Cuban construc- luxury resort on Cayo Largo. That project tion but is now in low demand. foresees construction of 900 rooms in condo- Quarries have operated here for style units, townhouses and exclusive garden over 100 years. In 2001, the villas. LCI officials said in late August that the island produced 33,800 square Cayo Largo project was “still pending,” al- meters (364,000 sq feet) of gray though nothing has actually been built yet. marble tiles at $6/sq meter (56¢/square foot). A nice vari- ety of black marble has also been exploited in limited quanti- ties. A thick caolinitic weathering crust covers extensive areas of the higher northern plains, sup- porting a modest ceramics industry. A factory producing Botija china was recently refur- bished with Italian technology, but ironically uses imported raw material because the local kaolin is of poor quality. This 16 CubaNews ❖ September 2006 CALENDAR OF EVENTS CARIBBEAN UPDATE If your organization is sponsoring an upcoming event, please let our readers know! You already know what’s going in Cuba, Fax details to CubaNews at (954) 977-2923 or send e-mail to [email protected]. thanks to CubaNews. Now find out what’s happening in the rest of this diverse and fast-growing region. Sep. 11-16: 14th Non-Aligned Summit, Havana. Representatives of 116 nations, including Subscribe to Caribbean UPDATE, a at least 50 heads of state, are expected to gather for this global event. Fidel Castro is on monthly newsletter founded in 1985. Cor- porate and government executives, as well the program to appear, but his participation seems unlikely given the state of his health. as scholars and journalists, depend on this publication for its insightful, timely cover- Sep. 14-15: Americas Conference. Biltmore Hotel, Miami. Potential investments in Cuba age of the 30-plus nations and territories of the Caribbean and Central America. will be among topics discussed at this annual event sponsored by the Miami Herald. Cost: When you receive your first issue, you $595. Details: Lourdes M. Alvarez, Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132- have two options: (a) pay the accompany- ing invoice and your subscription will be 1693. Tel: (305) 347-4311. Fax: (305) 347-4301. E-mail: [email protected]. processed; (b) if you’re not satisfied, just write “cancel” on the invoice and return it. Sep. 23: “Free the Cuban Five” rally, Washington. March to the White House to demand There is no further obligation on your part. The cost of a subscription to Caribbean the release of five Cuban spies from U.S. federal prisons. Details: National Committee to UPDATE is $267 per year. A special rate of Free the Cuban Five, Washington, DC. Tel: (202) 544-3389. URL: www.freethefive.org. $134 is available to academics, non-profit organizations and additional subscriptions mailed to the same address. Oct. 26: “Vermont Forum on Cuba: Perspectives on Change,” Burlington. Former Gov. To order, contact Caribbean UPDATE at Madeleine Kunin to moderate panel featuring Dennis Hays, formerly of the Cuban Amer- 116 Myrtle Ave., Millburn, NJ 07041, call us at (973) 376-2314, visit our new website at ican National Foundation, and Wayne Smith, ex-chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Hav- www.caribbeanupdate.org or send an ana. Details: Marisha Kazeniac, Vermont Institute on the Caribbean, 16 Ludwig Ct., Burling- e-mail to [email protected]. We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express. ton, VT 05401. Tel: (802) 864-4334. Fax: (802) 863-7118. E-mail: [email protected].

Oct. 28: National Summit on Cuba: New Jersey 2006, Rutgers University, Newark. “Re- cent developments in Cuba have raised new questions about the future of the island, U.S. policy and the role of the Cuban-American community. Some of the most pressing issues will be debated and discussed in an attempt to find common ground.” Cost: $25 including

lunch. Details: Lissa Weinmann, Cuba Project, 66 Fifth Ave. #900, New York, NY 10011. Editor & Publisher ■ LARRY LUXNER ■ Tel: (212) 229-5808 x4268. Fax: (212) 229-5579. URL: www.nationalsummitoncuba.org. Washington correspondent Dec. 4-6: 30th Annual Miami Conference on the Caribbean Basin, Hotel Inter-Continen- ■ ANA RADELAT ■ tal. Confirmed speakers include Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, Haitian Political analyst ■ DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI ■

President René Preval, many other heads of state. This year’s theme: “Uniting the Third Feature writers Border.” Cost: $600. Details: Caribbean-Central American Action, 1818 N Street NW, #310, ■ VITO ECHEVARRÍA ■ ■ HELEN SIMON ■ Washington, DC 20036. Tel: (202) 466-7464. Fax: (202) 822-0075. URL: www.c-caa.org. Cartographer ■ ARMANDO H. PORTELA ■

Graphic designer INTERNATIONAL STOCK PHOTOS ■ IVAN SCHWABE ■ If your business needs high-quality photo- graphs of Cuba — or anywhere else — to (ISSN 1073-7715), founded in 1993, illustrate annual reports, articles, bro- is published monthly by Luxner News Inc., 3005 Portofino Isle, Coconut Creek, FL 33066, USA. chures or presentations, you’ve come to Subscriptions: $429/one year, $800/two years the right place. Luxner News Inc. has over (special rates available to academics and non-pro- 12,000 color images on file from 80 coun- fit groups). Please visit www.cubanews.com to learn more about our newsletter. tries in North, South and Central America, To order a subscription, call custo- the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the Mideast mer service at (954) 970-4518, fax us at (954) 977- and Asia, depicting a variety of topics 2923 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. ranging from agriculture and aerospace to Contents may not be distributed by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. tourism and zoology. For details, please Luxner News Inc. grants authorization to photo- call Luxner News Inc. at (954) 970-4518 copy items for internal or personal use, provided or search our user-friendly website at: the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, www.luxner.com MA 01923. For details, visit www.copyright.com.